Comments | arlie: Open Records for Adoptees

arlie

Open Records for Adoptees

Apr 10, 2006 11:20

Isaac is in the process of applying for an Adoption Fellowship at Capital University. For the application process he has to write a brief essay on a current, substantive issue in child welfare or adoption law. After an evening of google searches he decided on the open record debate. This morning he printed off a bunch of articles to read today ( Read more... )

Comments 23

ariellejuliana April 10 2006, 16:32:43 UTC

is daysprings on your friends list? She works for a DC lobby group on adoption issues, and working for or against legislation is a major part of her job. I can't remember which organization she works for, but I'm sure she could help you. She's adopted herself. You can link to her from my userinfo. Her journal is mostly friends-only, but she's usually quick to add back.

I can think of a couple reasons to be against open records, including the fact that it may discourage people from placing children for adoption if they know that the children will certainly be able to know who they are and find them later. There could be many reasons that the birth parents don't want to be identified or found by the children the placed. Placing children is often a very, very painful process, and can involve many complex issues (divorce, rape, abuse, substance abuse, legal trouble, family trouble (the family may not even know about the child)) and one that they want to get past. I am certainly no expert, that's just my immediate response

ariellejuliana April 10 2006, 16:45:37 UTC

Also, did you read this?
http://www.adoptioncouncil.org/ConcernedAboutPrivacy.htm

arlie April 10 2006, 16:47:58 UTC

yep. I am pretty sure that is among Zac's printed material.

ariellejuliana April 10 2006, 16:47:44 UTC

I also want to add that the reasons I came up with above are certainly not exhaustive. I mentioned the possible negative factors that would cause a person to want their adoption process to be confidential. There may not be any negative factors at all, but the agencies would still want to protect the right itself to have a confidential adoption, regardless of the reason.

Thread 7

Piping in my two adopted cents... psalm51_17 April 10 2006, 17:17:12 UTC

You mention Conservative groups as if there were not "conservative" people behind the group who, for whatever reason do not want to be contacted ( ... )

Re: Piping in my two adopted cents... arlie April 10 2006, 17:22:49 UTC

Very interesting. Can you tell me why you are against open adoption? A girl I went to college with found a couple to adopt her child and it is some type of open adoption. She doesn't see the child, but is able to write and receive letters/photos from the adoptive parents. I thought this would be comforting for both the child and the birth parent.

Re: Piping in my two adopted cents... psalm51_17 April 10 2006, 17:51:04 UTC

Yes, I can tell you why. As you mentioned in your original post, you can't see why someone's Birth Certificate should be kept a state secret. This will certainly show my age, or rather my desire to return to a time when the "family" was something that people valued versus what it is today. Whether it be blended, varied, mixed, et.al. we have diluted and distorted any vision of what families were and what the value was in them. (sorry, soapbox ( ... )

Re: Piping in my two adopted cents... arlie April 10 2006, 18:01:09 UTC

I think Jennifer let the adoptive parents name her baby. Anyways, I'd think with all the adoptees who want to find their parents (I know this isn't 100% of them or even a majority since I know your opinion) that an open adoption would make life simpler in that they wouldn't have to search for them. Am I making any sense? I am sorry if I have this all wrong, I'm just trying to understand.

Thread 5

daysprings April 10 2006, 17:55:48 UTC

You're not really getting the whole story. As an adopted person and an adoption advocate, I can tell you that you only ever hear one thing in the media about open adoptions and birthparent/child reunions - that's what a positive it is, and how every adoptee must feel terrible, almost pathological loss at not knowing who his or her birthparents are ( ... )

daysprings April 10 2006, 17:58:24 UTC

daysprings April 10 2006, 18:02:24 UTC

you might also tell Isaac to check out the leading "advocacy group" for mandatory open records: Bastard Nation. (Yes, that's really what they call themselves.) Their exec director blogs here. She's a pretty angry person.

arlie April 10 2006, 18:05:29 UTC

No No No... This is such an interesting topic and I really do want to understand it. If you'd allow me, I'd like to be on your friends list. I screened your above comment to keep your disclosure on the hush. Thank you for your insight.

Thread 5

lexispice April 10 2006, 22:35:07 UTC

I don't have any personal experience with this, but I do know a family in which both of the parents were adopted as children. Neither knew their "biological" families, and so they had no way of knowing that they were passing along genetic abnormalities to their children. They have three, all of whom have health and mental peoblems. I think that had they had access to a family history (whether than included identities or not), they may have been better prepared for their lives and may in some cases been able to treat their kids' various problems sooner. I don't have an opinion about people knowing the identities of their birth parents, but I do believe that people have a right to know their medical history.

arlie April 10 2006, 22:38:37 UTC

agreed. That was one of the first things I thought of when I thought about their records being sealed.

viggorlijah April 11 2006, 00:13:09 UTC

Trafficking. Coercion and falsified records exist, even in apparently okay adoption agencies, and in domestic adoptions as well. Closed records prevent the birthfather from any involvement - which most of the parties involved want, but which isn't fair to the child or the birthfather ( ... )

arlie April 11 2006, 00:42:53 UTC

I agree with you.

Quite passionate... psalm51_17 April 11 2006, 14:55:06 UTC

Quite wrong, in my opinion, but nonetheless passionate. I'm curious as to what your exposure is? (personally adopted? have adopted children? put your child up for adoption?) Or just opinion for opinion's sake?

Re: Quite passionate... viggorlijah April 11 2006, 15:54:15 UTC

Four adopted kids, older, through trafficking and deceit from the orphanage, agency etc. Open adoption with ongoing contact, now running a small project in Cambodia to prevent the same thing happening and provide resources for families before they break up. I run a website on adoption issues, Cambodia focussed - http://www.oggham.com/cambodia/ and I'm now working on a FAQ for adoptees and families on all sides who've been involved with fradulent adoptions ( ... )

Thread 5